A Look Ahead to British Champions Day
The Flat racing season comes to a thrilling close as British Champions Day 2025 brings the best horses from the UK, Ireland, and beyond to Ascot for one final, high-stakes showdown worth over £4.3 million in prize money.
British Champions Day will once again bring the curtain down on the Flat season in Britain, and it promises to do so in spectacular fashion. For punters eyeing up value in the big contests, there are plenty of free horse racing bets available ahead of the meeting.
Taking place at Ascot on Saturday, 18 October 2025, the day boasts £4.35 million in prize money as the very best horses from the UK, Ireland, and beyond descend upon the iconic Berkshire course. With five Group 1s on the card, each representing the ultimate championship race in its category, the stage is set for one of the most eagerly anticipated days of racing all year.
British Champions Long Distance Cup
Distance: 2 miles
Winning prize pot: £283,550
The stayers kick things off with a fascinating clash. Gold Cup hero Trawlerman is the 13/8 favourite to extend his Ascot winning streak to four for John and Thady Gosden.
At seven, he’s in the form of his life, though Aidan O’Brien’s Scandinavia, fresh from Goodwood Cup glory, and Illinois, runner-up in the Gold Cup, will keep him honest.
British Champions Sprint Stakes
Distance: 6f
Winning prize pot: £283,550
From marathon stamina to raw speed, the Sprint Stakes provides a sharp contrast. Lazzart, owned by Wathnan Racing, tops the market after an impressive Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee win at Royal Ascot. However, defeat in France to Sajir has left questions hanging.
William Haggas’s More Thunder continues to climb the ranks after landing the Hungerford Stakes and could be a major threat if lining up. Meanwhile, Shadow Of Light, third in the 2000 Guineas, must rediscover earlier sparkle after a series of below-par efforts.
Fillies & Mares Stakes
Distance: 1m4f
Winning prize pot: £283,550
Defending champion Kalpana has been admirably consistent, albeit winless since last year’s renewal. Her fine runs include placings in the Pretty Polly Stakes and King George, but her participation hinges on Juddmonte’s plans for another tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Multiple Oaks winner Minnie Hauk also has the Arc on her agenda, which could leave Waardah, unbeaten in her last two at Goodwood for Owen Burrows, as the likely market leader.
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Distance: 1 mile
Winning prize pot: £623,810
The mile division has produced plenty of drama this season. Field Of Gold, beaten in the Guineas but brilliant in the Irish Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes, heads the betting despite a puzzling flop in the Sussex.
2024 Irish Guineas winner Rosallion, a near-miss in the Queen Anne, is searching for his first victory of the season but retains plenty of class. Fallen Angel, who headed January in a Group 1 Fillies & Mares in France in August, may step up against the boys.
Champion Stakes
Distance: 1m2f
Winning prize pot: £737,230
The day’s showpiece promises fireworks. Ombudsman has been a model of consistency for Godolphin, capturing both the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Juddmonte International, and sits as the 2/1 favourite.
French challenger Calandagan, who beat Kalpana in the King George, bids to go one better after a narrow defeat in this very race last year. Defending champion Anmaat cannot be ignored either, despite being forced to play second fiddle in both starts this season.
